Nashville Teacher Captured On Video Removing Hijab From Student’s Head Is Suspended Without Pay

A Nashville woman is facing serious online backlash after she removed a hijab from a female student then allegedly posted a video of the incident on Snapchat. In the video, which was reportedly recorded in a New Vision Academy Charter School classroom, the teacher is seen removing the hijab from the student’s head to expose her hair. She’s then told she shouldn’t cover her head because her hair was too pretty.

Feeling very embarrassed, the student covered her face using her palm. Two videos emerged from the incident, with one captioned “pretty hair,” while the other had “lol all that hair cover up.”

The issue came to the attention of the school’s principal, Dr. Tim Malone, who confronted the teacher to ascertain what transpired. The teacher denied sharing the video on social media and added that her act wasn’t out of disrespect. Regardless, she was suspended without pay.

“The actions depicted in the Snapchat video do not reflect the values, culture or climate of New Vision Academy,” Dr. Malone said in a statement. “New Vision will use this video as an opportunity to press forward with increasing cultural sensitivity and awareness. New Vision apologizes for this unfortunate incident, and will be better in the future.”

Someone felt so disturbed by the teacher’s act as seen in the video and forwarded it to the media.

In one of the videos, students can be seen playfully touching the girl’s hair.

Hijab is a traditional Islamic headscarf that’s worn by some women, covering the wearer’s hair and neck, but leaves the face uncovered. It’s worn as a sign of modesty and subscription to Islam.

Kasar Abdulla, who offers training in schools on Muslim diversity and sensitivity, saw the video and just shook her head. “As a woman and as a mother of three daughters, it should never be ok to rip off an article of clothing off a female, period,” she said, adding, “I understand peer-to-peer, student-to-student interactions, but as adults, it is our duty to model for them.”

She said she’d like to have the school’s administration answer some questions relating to the incident.

“It concerns me. I question, where was the teacher in this incident, and what role did the teacher play? I would like to know some answers from the administration.”

The girl’s family saw the video and were very upset. They said: “This should never happen.”